Planners OK electrical substation

An electric utility secured one of the approvals needed to build a new substation south of Petoskey from Resort Township planning commissioners Tuesday.

Wolverine Power Supply Cooperative proposes to build a substation on a 6-acre site along Cemetery Road just south of the Odawa Casino Resort. Equipment there would convert electricity supplied by a nearby transmission line to a lower voltage. Great Lakes Energy would then distribute this power to area customers.

With the residential zoning in place on the proposed substation site, a special-use permit would be needed to construct the electrical infrastructure there. The planning commission approved this permit - with numerous conditions attached - by a unanimous vote.

Wolverine and Great Lakes representatives have said the substation would help address the growing demand for electricity nearby - from customers such as the new casino and businesses just to the east in Bear Creek Township. It also would ease the load on an over-capacity Wolverine substation in Bear Creek Township and one that's near capacity in the Bay Harbor area.

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Some nearby residents, such as Joe Bochniak, have voiced concerns about how the substation might impact neighborhood property values.

The township enlisted staff from the Michigan Public Service Commission - the state agency regulating electric utilities - to review Wolverine's request. MPSC concluded that the Cemetery Road site provided the most feasible option for setting up a substation to serve the area.

Resort planner Randy Frykberg noted that Wolverine potentially could seek an alternative review process for its substation request that would involve the courts, and that MPSC's finding perhaps could weigh heavily there.

By keeping the approval process at the township level, Frykberg said the township could better retain some input on how Wolverine lays out the substation.

Planning commissioner Marv Veurink proposed several conditions as part of the permit to reduce the substation's visual impact for nearby residences. Among them were planting of trees on the east, west and south sides of the substation, relocation of the proposed driveway and keeping on-site lighting to a minimum.

The township will waive its usual height restriction for construction at the substation site. The proposed equipment would reach a maximum height of 60 feet - about twice Resort's normal height limit.

Coming up

In order to build its proposed substation along Cemetery Road, Wolverine Power Supply Cooperative still must obtain a utility franchise for it from the Resort Township Board. The board is expected to discuss this franchise at its Aug. 14 meeting.

Wolverine also must submit a more detailed site plan for the township planning commission's review. The utility hopes to have plans ready for commissioners to consider when they meet Aug. 28.